The Leading Journal for the Tyre Recycling Sector

The Leading Journal for the Tyre Recycling Sector

Sri-Lankan Company Wins Gold Award for Recycling

Sri-Lankan Kalhari Group won the Gold Award for Recycled Products at the recently held NCE Export Awards 2018. The company which has consistently won NCE Awards over more than ten years is today a leader in the field of exporting recycled products to various countries around the world. This is also the first time the National Chamber of Exporters introduced a Gold Award for Recycled Products.

Gold Award for Recycling Won by Sri Lankan Firm

The Kalhari Group which exports recycled tyre waste, rubber waste, post-consumer PET bottles and steel dust, has factories in Sapugaskanda, Mahara and Minuwangoda while its head office is in the rural village of Heiyantuduwa.

The Kalhari Group has exported significant quantities of recycled material to five countries including Thailand and Pakistan. The company has made a major impact on controlling environmental pollution and waste management in Sri Lanka and enjoys the confidence of key regulatory bodies.

“Our main export product is tyre waste, a large amount of which is produced in the tyre rebuilding industry. In Japan, Australia and New Zealand, they use this tyre dust to make artificial ‘green’ playing fields as well as rubber floor tiles,” company Chairman Rajapaksa explained. “Pakistan produces oil from tyres. They also make shoe soles. Thailand produces solid tyres and conveyor belts.” The Chairman of the Kalhari Group says that they export Sri Lanka’s waste material for which they earn valuable foreign exchange.

“My knowledge is readily available to anyone who wishes to grow as an entrepreneur in the field of recycling. We need more and more small and medium entrepreneurs. I am keen to change attitudes in Sri Lanka and I am interested in diversifying only into areas that directly benefit the community.”

Recycling should be the responsibility of the producer and we need to create more awareness on the disposal of plastic and rubber products by implementing EPR – Extended Producer Responsibility which will enable Sri Lanka to address the waste disposal and management problem to a great extent. We are planning to build up partnerships in the provinces to expand the recycling industry and also educate the public on the responsible disposal of waste. We are very grateful to the government authorities for the assistance given so far, and look forward to working with them even more closely in the future. This award is for them too,” Kaushal Rajapaksa concluded.